Baseball events in 1938 in the United States. Closeup of Johnny Vander Meer of the Cincinnati Reds followed by scenes of him pitching during his two back-to-back no-hitters against the Boston Red Sox and the Brooklyn Dodgers, respectively. Spectators seated in the stands. Legendary baseball player, George Herman "Babe" Ruth, now a Brooklyn Dodger coach, is seen donning a Dodger uniform. He hits a ball on the sidelines during warmups. View of fans seated in the stands. Baseball team New York Yankees in its dugout during the 1938 World Series against the Chicago Cubs. Yankees defeat Cubs. New York Yankees manager Joe McCarthy shakes hands with Chicago Cubs Manager Gabby Hartnett after New York wins the World Series in four games straight. New York Mayor, Fiorello LaGuardia, is seen in a box seat, wearing a large-brimed hat. He holds his nose and waves a hand in distain. The spectators in the stands cheer. From a September 16, 1963 newsreel featuring events from 25 years earlier.

A large number of passengers aboard the ocean liner SS Manhattan (later USS Wakefield) in the United States. Scene from January 10,1938 as the USS Manhattan returns from her Europe trip. A large number of passengers aboard the ship. U.S. Ambassador to Nazi Germany William E. Dodd is interviewed by media persons about his Europe trip. He declares that living in Europe at the time is discouraging and there is crisis in Europe as Nazism and Fascism are gaining ground everywhere. The ship is underway and arriving at New York Harbor on September 30, 1939, carrying 1837 persons, its largest passenger count ever. The passengers are fleeing war-torn Europe early in World War 2. A sign on the ship: 'Manhattan United States Lines'. The passengers in mass numbers at a harbor. The Statue of Liberty in the background.

President Roosevelt returns from a three week long fishing trip to Pensacola, Florida. The United States ship Houston comes in the harbor at Naval flying station in Pensacola, Florida. Marine Guards lined up an honor guard. President's car pulls away as he waves to a large crowd at the harbor.

Scenes from the New England Hurricane of 1938 (or Great New England Hurricane) (or Long Island Express) (or The Great Hurricane of 1938). Hurricane hitting U.S. Eastern Seaboard on September 21, 1938. The Coast from New Jersey to New England felt its effect. Cars and people drenched with water in streets. Policemen wade through hip deep water. New York is whipped by 70 mile-an-hour winds and the raging sea pouring tons of water far inland. A man retreats from a dock as waves pour water on him. Outcome of hurricane shows broken ships, downed trees, and devastation at the water front in coastal areas including Atlantic City, New London Connecticut, and Long Island. Firemen in New London Connecticut battle fires. Aerial view of destroyed shoreline and beached boats in New London. Broken cars crushed by fallen trees. Crowds gather to look at damage as a lone sentry guards against looting. Boats along the Atlantic Coast are destroyed. A boat is seen on a road in front of Merkel's Delicatessen. View of a train that was derailed by the hurricane on Long Island. Shot of a car that was carried far off a roadway and impaled on an upright beam.

Telephone lines laid along the Florida coast in the United States. Equipment in view during the extending of telephone lines along the Florida coast. A crane beside the train station in the town of Jewfish, Florida in the upper Florida Keys. A board on the train station building reads 'Jew Fish'. The crane at work. Florida in later years: View of rolls of telephone cables outside a building. Men laying telephone cables from a roll kept on a wheel cart. A small wooden building with a board that reads 'The New Telephone Bldg., Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company'. Another small building with a few boards. One of the boards reads 'Keeping Face With Orlands'. A large concrete building with a path in the front. Trees along the side of the path.

Film notes 35th anniversary of Wright Brothers' first flight and reviews advances in transportation brought about by rail and aircraft .An animated map of the United states before the advent of mechanized transport methods. It illustrates the difficult and long overland journey to travel from the East Coast to the West Coast. Travel by horse and wagon over the Santa Fe Trail in 1849 is recreated in a brief film clip. Next, a locomotive is shown pulling a passenger train at high speed along a railroad at the base of a mountain. Animated map charts fairly direct path from Coast to Coast, taking only 4 days by railroad. Next a nearly straight course is traced across the map illustrating the path of an airplane taking only seven and a half hours for the journey. Change of scene shows aerial view of Howard Hughes' Lockheed 14 Super Electra Special, Model 14-N2 ( NX18973), christened "New York World's Fair 1939," in flight over New York harbor with the skyline of Manhattan in the background. Camera follows the plane as it passes over lower Manhattan. The Empire State building is seen prominently with other skyscrapers below the aircraft. This was filmed, on July 14, 1938, as Hughes and his crew were returning from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Floyd Bennett Field, on Long Island, at the conclusion of their around-the-world flight (circling the Northern Hemisphere) from July 10 - July 14, 1938.